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32-671: After the opening of the Zwiesel–Grafenau railway in 1890, new possibilities arose for the transportation of logs by rail from the woods around the Großer Rachel , one of the highest hills in the Bavarian Forest. At the suggestion of the senior forestry commission officer, Leythäuser, who was elected in 1890 to the government of the province of Lower Bavaria , forestry staff began to lay a 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) narrow gauge railway from

64-553: A connexion was temporarily established (until 1956) to Freyung with a road-rail omnibus . In the second half of the 20th century passenger services were provided by Uerdingen railbuses ; initially the VT 95 and later the VT 98. In the 1980s discussions again took place about closing the route. Around 1990 the successors to the railbuses, the DB Class V 100s pushed or pulled one or two branch line coaches with driving cars. On 24 May 1993

96-423: A cost of 9.6 million euros , a two-hourly timetable was introduced in 2003 with a journey time of 50 minutes. In summer 2007 the 4.7 km long section of the route between Zwiesel and Zwieselau was completely replaced for 2.3 million euros. In October and November 2008 a further 2.9 km between the stations of Frauenau and Spiegelau was renewed. Currently Grafenau station is being worked on. The track layout

128-508: A fire fighting train, a snow blower and even a rotary snow plough. Three seated coaches were available for the transport of personnel. The line at Aurich depot was closed in 1982 and last operations in Laboe took place in 1993. Finally, in December 1996, the Laboe railway was closed. Its total track length was 25 km (16 mi). A DS 90 locomotive, no. 9, is still in the depot at Laboe as

160-539: A line was built to the forest railway terminus at Finsterau. In the early 1930s the Spiegelau Forest Railway reached its greatest extent with 95 kilometres of permanent way. As new railway sections were now built, old ones were lifted. The last extension of the railway network was as late as 1951 with the construction of a 7 km long stretch to the Scheerhütte by 156 emergency workers. In 1953

192-675: A memorial. The use of Feldbahnen declined dramatically in the late 20th century, as their tasks have been taken on by lorries and electrically driven conveyor belts. They are now used only where the ground conditions (e.g. moorland or peat bogs) or lack of space (mining) render the routine use of other means impractical. The Feldbahn is still widely used in Germany in industrial peat extraction, especially in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein . In addition they are still used occasionally in brickworks and other industrial premises. As

224-588: A particular site, loaded onto a train and relaid elsewhere. At the Betriebswerk in Spiegelau the forestry commission built a locomotive turntable in the early 1920s. At Sagwassersäge there was a wye track and Klingenbrunn had a terminal loop. As well as logs the railway also carried part-load goods, especially food, to the remote villages of Guglöd, Waldhäuser und the Graupsäge. In 1930 the record load

256-468: A total of 1.3 million euros in this conversion, which also includes re-routing the roads. In summer 2008 the construction of a new platform was begun, which is east of the present one at the end of the line opposite the bus stop. This will enable a shorter connexion between bus and railway and a barrier-free access to public transport facilities. Efforts are being made to increase the frequency of rail services to once an hour. Today you can only travel between

288-428: Is being shortened as part of a redesign of the station site. The bus station on the station forecourt is being completely rebuilt and the storage sheds in the immediate vicinity of the station are being torn down. These are no longer required since the cessation of goods services in 1994. On these areas a shopping centre and car park is being built. The town of Grafenau and the rural county of Freyung-Grafenau have invested

320-492: The Regentalbahn took over timetabled services on the route with their Esslingen railbuses under contract from DB-Regio Bayern . For a short time rebuilt VT 09 and VT 10 diesel railcars (formerly DB Class ETA 150 ), were used here. Since the beginning of 1997 the link has been worked by modern Regio-Shuttle rakes. Goods traffic came to an end on 1 October 1994. After the line had been thoroughly refurbished in 2002 at

352-564: The Bavarian Forest railway ( Bayerische Waldbahn ) from Plattling to Bayerisch Eisenstein , built by the Bavarian Ostbahn and opened on 16 September 1877, as well as the line to Bodenmais opened on 3 September 1928. On the line are three stations - Zwiesel, Frauenau and Spiegelau , of which only Zwiesel station is staffed - and five small request stops as well as the terminus of Grafenau. An early plan to extend

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384-689: The Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft . The idea is to enable trains to cross at Spiegelau station, so that, unlike a crossing at the centre of the line in Klingenbrunn, the journey time can be speeded up by several minutes without extending waiting times for connexions at the hub in Zwiesel. Feldbahn A Feldbahn , or Lorenbahn , is the German term for a narrow-gauge field railway , usually not open to

416-535: The German Federal Navy ( Bundesmarine ), narrow-gauge railways with a rail gauge of 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) were used to move ammunition and materiel. In the depot at Laboe type S 14 (14 kg/m or 28.2 lb/yd) rail profiles were laid and later changed to new S 20 (20 kg/m or 40.3 lb/yd) rails . One type DS 60 locomotive and 18 DIEMA DS 90 locomotives were used. The railway stock there also included

448-789: The Germans retreated deeper towards their homeland. As a result, the Feldbahn was an organic growth of existing agricultural, industrial and mining railways. After the war, much remaining trackage and rolling stock was put to use in more conventional narrow-gauge applications throughout Europe. In the processing industry, these narrow-gauge railways once held an important role. As a result, Feldbahnen were frequently associated with refractory clay factories, brickyards, sugar factories and iron and steel mills. They were also used for pulling canal barges , transporting military materiel and personnel and removing materials from large-scale building sites and

480-500: The development of military narrow-gauge railway or Heeresfeldbahn networks, also referred to as trench railways . Throughout World War I, the British and French also used trench railways, called War Department Light Railways and Decauville railways respectively. However, the German approach was less improvised and more permanent. With each successful advance, the British and French forces faced ever lengthening supply lines, while

512-504: The edges of ditches as they were being extended forward, often on soft ground, led occasionally to derailments. As a result, on many Feldbahnen , wooden planks and other lifting gear were carried. Turntables were usually operated by hand. Simple and robust vehicles characterised everyday operations. Locomotives were not always available, so it was quite common for individual wagons - even when loaded - to be moved with horses or by human muscle power alone. In tight spaces or where access

544-540: The former Forest Railway trackbed in the village centre. Zwiesel%E2%80%93Grafenau railway The building of the Zwiesel–Grafenau railway , today route number 906 in the timetable, was begun in 1884 by the Royal Bavarian State Railways and taken into service on 1 September 1890. With a total length of 32 km it linked the towns of Zwiesel and Grafenau in the Bavarian Forest . At Zwiesel railway station it connects to

576-444: The highest point in the network was finally reached at just under 1,000 metres, opening up a 700 hectare area of the forest. The Spiegelau Forest Railway transported logs to the loading areas at Spiegelau or at Klingenbrunn, where they were loaded onto standard gauge track and dispatched in the direction of Zwiesel . The lines were very steep and winding. Tracks were laid on robust railway embankments. Tracks were frequently lifted at

608-509: The information centre in Spiegelau. A Forest Railway locomotive and three wagons are also displayed in the village centre. Since 10 August 2003 a short Feldbahn section has been built at Riedlhütte by the Feld- und Waldbahnverein Riedlhütte (Riedlhütte Field and Forest Railway Society). This has since been regularly operated. It is however a completely new line, which was built alongside

640-531: The line as far as Freyung and the Ilztalbahn with its connexion to Passau was stopped by opposition by the town of Grafenau for a railway route via Riedlhütte and St. Oswald with a station on the Schwaimberg . This promised a higher return as a result of having a station in the vicinity of the town centre. So the line was routed via the town of Grafenau with two halts at Grossarmschlag and Rosenau to

672-453: The main route reached Mauth , 32 kilometres away. Now a side branch was built towards the Rachel site office. The First World War and the post-war period interrupted further expansion. During the 1920s the network was extended towards Klingenbrunn station and, by 1926, there were 41 kilometres of line and 5 kilometres of sidings. After the hurricane devastation of 1927, work intensified and

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704-562: The peak of operations in 1932 it had 355 log wagons ( Trucks ) and 47 other wagons. In winter railway traffic ceased due to the amount of snow. After the Second World War the Regensburg federal railway division, who were responsible for construction standards, demanded that the railway was overhauled, which would have cost about 500,000 marks . Because the construction of forest roads and transportation of logs by road vehicles

736-484: The public, which in its simplest form provides for the transportation of agricultural, forestry ( Waldbahn ) and industrial raw materials such as wood, peat, stone, earth and sand. Such goods are often transported in tipper wagons, known in German as Loren , hence such a railway is also referred to as a Lorenbahn . During the First World War, the enormous logistical demands of trench warfare led to

768-690: The rubble from ruined cities after the Second World War. Rail gauges were between 400 mm ( 15 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ) and 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge . The track ( rails and sleepers ) utilised, ranged from light, rail frames that could be carried and laid by two men and were often laid directly on the ground with no trackbed, to properly laid, ballasted lines for heavy loads and extended use. Tight curves enabled lines to be more easily routed, largely without structures being required, even in difficult terrain. Provisional track laid along

800-501: The state railway station at Spiegelau in 1900 under their own steam. The official authority to build a permanent forest railway was given on 26 August 1908. At that time, a 7 kilometre long section already existed. In November 1909 the official test run took place on the line, now 17.5 km long, in the presence of officials from the Regensburg railway division . Also in 1909 the first two steam locomotives were delivered. In 1911

832-566: The terminus. Subsequent plans to extend the line to Fürstenstein , in order to achieve a connexion to Passau that way, were also dropped. In the beginning two Bavarian D X tank locomotives worked the line. Only two days after the line opened, however, one of these two engines fell down the embankment just before Grafenau; fortunately no-one was injured. From 1930 to 1960 the privately run Zwieselau Forest Railway terminated in Zwieselau station. This large network of 600-mm narrow gauge track

864-469: The times when the train runs on certain buses, in which railway tickets are accepted. In order to enable hourly rail services, however, significant work would be required. The route would have to be upgraded to take faster trains, safety equipment would have to be installed and a crossing point established. The owner of the line, DB Netz AG , has said it is only prepared to do this if the route has permanent safety measures and an order has been secured through

896-553: Was cheaper, on 21 September 1957 the Regensburg Forestry Department ordered the dismantling of the Spiegelau Forest Railway by 1960. In 1955 the Forest Railway still owned eleven locomotives 182 Trucks and 23 special wagons. In 1957 the tracks were lifted in favour of forest roads. Farewell rides were laid on for the local population. On 11 May 1960 the last train ran; on 8 September the last track

928-417: Was difficult, the help of children and youngsters was enlisted to haul tipper wagons. Frequently rolling stock was hand-built or was manufactured to order in small batches. Usually no signals were installed, the low speeds enabling trains to be driven by sight. At level crossings on larger roads, temporary bells or light signals were installed, that enabled trains to cross safely. In the munitions depots of

960-496: Was lifted. The locomotive shed at Spiegelau station is still there. Several former railway embankments form the base for walking trails or vehicle tracks. Some have been uncovered again by the Bavarian Forest National Park . Early on there were attempts by railway fans to reactivate the Spiegelau Forest Railway as a museum railway . In addition there is a permanent exhibition about the Forest Railway at

992-416: Was transported: 118,119 cubic metres of logs, 40,491 stacked cubic metres of laminated wood and 2,127 tonnes of part-load goods. From the 1920s the locomotive fleet comprised about 7 permanent locomotives, painted green with yellow outline stripes. From 1926 there were also diesel locomotives. The Forest Railway had a total of 12 locomotives, of which 5 were steam, 4 were diesel und 3 petrol-electric locos. At

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1024-462: Was worked by steam and diesel locomotives that transported logs to the standard railway network. Its loading tracks have long since been lifted by the DB. The former log loading station at Klingenbrunn with its extensive trackage and a connexion to the 600 mm Spiegelau Forest Railway ( Spiegelauer Waldbahn ) has been reduced today to just one track and classified as a halt ( Haltepunkt ). In 1953

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